The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-03-02
THE LASH.
APPLIED TO THE BACIES OF
COSSACK SOLDIERS.
A Russian Army Scene-Eight Sol.
dicrs Receive Fifty Lnshes
Each-Lying Face Down
ward in the Snow.

The Sergeant now read name from
list he held in his hand, and the first
Cossack stepped out of the file and stood
between the gendarmes, says F. d. Mil
lett in Harpr's Magazine. At a second
command he partially stripped and lay
down in the untroddcn snow, face down.
ward. The three stalwart gendarmes
Immediately seized limb apiece, and
held the culprlt out fiat, like a vic
tim OF the inpuisition strapped to the
rack. The man who had my nagajka
now advanced and ai;ed it i'll the air,
prepared to strike the expos:d back of
the PROSTATE Cossack.
'Ras!" shouted the Sergeant.
Whack! went the cruel lash with
sound that made my flesh creep.
"Dva! Tri! Chctirin slowly counted
the sergeant; and at each blow the Cos.
sack seemed to shrink into half his nat
ural size. Not groau nor sound cs-
capped his lips until his fifty lashes werc
half spent, and thea he moaned pitifully
during the rest of his punishment.
When the last blow fell the gehdarmes
sprang to their feet, the Cossack scram-
blcd up, his face distorted with suffer-
ing. arranged his uniform with trem-
bling hands, and, without stopping to
shake the snow from his hair, hobblcd
#, under guard, out of sight among the
horses. The seven comrades of the Cos
SAX, enforced spectators of the brutal
scene, were now very pale, and their
hands nervouslY clutchcd while they still
p ese; we'd their rigid attitude of "atten-
ton" A fresh hand took the nagajka,
and the second name was called. A
short broad .shouldered fellow with a
SIN Ill head and a square face stepped
briskly out, threw aside his cap with
careless firt of the hand, jauntily re-
moved his coat, as if preparing for a
pit asant exercise. and lay down with a
marked air of bravado. His courage did
not hold out long, however, for at the
very first blow he writhed and groaned
and prayed and shouted, and after the
third or fourth stroke wrenched one
hand free and tried Intellectually to pro-
tect himself from the lash. But the
gendarme quickly held the arm in place
again, and the count was made with ag-
gravating delibcration and precision.
When the whole fifty had been put on he
was led away skrieking and sobbing and
dancing like whipped schoolboy, for
getful of cap and coat snow and cold,
and insenslble, indeed, to everything but
the pain of his punishment.
The third name was now called, and
a young fellow took his place in the
snow, now partly packed bI the strug-
giles of the first victims. There was no
show of emotion on his face except
quivering lip, and he gave no indications
of bravado or of fear. He bore the first
dozen lashes without sign except an in
voluntary quivering of the he h. Sud
denly, about the fifteenth blow, he
seemed possessed of the strength of
maniac. Elinging aside the muscular
gendarmcs as if they were no stronger
than children, and ignominiously tum-
bling one of them in the snow, he sprang
to his feet, the picture of rage and in
dignation. He made no attempt to es-
cape, but shrieked: ''You ha no right
to whip me! You have no right to
whip me! am the son of an officer! /
am the son of an oifcerp
But this astonishing squirt of mad
strength did not avail him, for tie i'm.
perturbablc gendarmes seized him again
and stolidly. forced him to the ground.
when the remaining blows were counted.
The foolish fear of becoming the butt
for the laughter of the officers kept me
spectator of the whole of this disgust
ing and degrading performance. After
the last blow had sounded I could re-
strain my indignation no longer, and,
turning to the Captain, asked-having
in mind, of course, the moral effect of
the flogging what will become of
these meni"
"Oh," said he, indiffcrcntly, 'theyll
be sent on picket duty now for two
weeks without teing relieved"